The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1887-12-29

Mark Twain On Child 0ovokne
For whipping arc not given IN our
house for revenge; they are not eivsp.1
for spite nor even in anger: they an
given partly for punishment, but main.
" by way Of impressive reminder, and,
q protector against repetition Of thi
ofense. Tho interval between tina
promise of . whipping and its infiic
ton is usually an hour or two. By
that time both parties are calm, and
the one is judicial, the other receptive.
The child never goes from the scene Of
punishment until it has been loved
back into happy-heartedness and C
joyful spirit. The spanking is never
cruel, but it is always an honest one.
1t hurts. It hurts the child, imagine
how it must hurt tho mother. Her
spirit is serene, tranquil. She has not
the support which is afforded by anger.
Every blow shestrikes the child bruis-
hes her own heart. Themother of my
children adores them-there is no
milder term for it; and they wor-
ship her; they even worship any
thing which the touch of her hand has
made sacred. They know her for tho
best and truest friend they have ever
had, or ever shall have; they know her
one who never did them wrong, and
~ yh~
told them q lie nor the shadow of one;
who never deceived them by even an
ambiguous gesture; who never gave
them an unreasonable command, nor
ever contented herself with anything
short of perfect obedience; who has
always treated them as politely and
considerably as she would the best
and Oldest in the land, and has al
ways required of them gentle speech
and courteous conduct toward all OF
whatsoever degree, with whom they
CHANGED to come in contact; they
know her for one whose promise,
whether of reward or punishment, is
gold, and always worth its face, to the
uttermost tarthing. In a word, they
know her, and know her, for tho
best and dearest mother that lives
and by long, long way the wisest.
You perceive that have never got
down to where the mother in the tale
really asks the question. Fort rea-
son that Icannot realize the situation.
The spectacle of that treacherously-
reared boy, and that wordy, namby-
PANTY father, and that weak, namby-
PANTY mother, il enough to make ono
ashamed of his species. And, if I
could cry, would cry for the fate of
that poor little boy-a fate which has
cruelty placed hun in tho hands and
at the mercy of a pair of grown-up
children, to have his disposition ruined,
to come up ungoverned, and be a nui-
sance to himself and everybody about
him, in the process, instead of being the
solacer ofcare, the dissemlnator of hap
piness, the glory and honor and Joy of
the house, the welcomest face in all the
world to them that gavehim being-as
he ought to be, was sent to be, and
would be, but for the hard fortune
that flung him into the clutches of the
paltering incapables.
In all my life have never made O
single reference to my wife in print be-
fore, as far can remember, except in
the dedication of a book; and so after
these fifteen years of silence, perhaps,
l may unseal my lips this one time
without improperly or indelicacy. l
will institute one other novelty: will
send this manuscript to the press
without her knowledge, and without
asking her to edit it. This will save
it getting edited into the stove
Mark Twain in the Christian Union.